Being Mamma Bear

If you haven’t read Part 1 of this post yet, click here.

Like I promised last time, I’m here (only a day late) with answers to how you too can #GetYour10kOn and do it the right way, and the amazing lady with the answers is Elina Wadia from Diet Funda.

Elina is a nutritionist with experience in Research and Professorship. Her passion for healthcare drives her to constantly learn and work better. She believes that if she can guide even one person every day, she can make a huge difference to society. Ardour and diligence are two traits that she believes most reflect her as an individual. She has completed her Masters in Dietetics and has several certifications from various universities and organisations in areas like Diabetes Education, Prescribing Exercise, Child Nutrition, Health and Fitness Management, etc. She has over 9 years of experience with planning therapeutic diets for her clients. She is also a motivational speaker and enjoys writing health related articles and blogs.

Elina has been guiding me with my food intake and workouts since July 2018 and even though I couldn’t do it for long last year, we started again this year and I am happy to report that I have become a much healthier and active version of who I was before. I will go into detailed statistics in another post, because we are here to talk about walking 10,000 steps EVERY DAY and we ALL have questions about that. So over to Elina.

Also, do read till the end.
Elina and I have something amazing for you at the end of this post.

1. What is the whole idea behind walking 10,000 steps a day, especially since you also recommend exercise and of course, a healthy, nutritious diet?

“Diet alone will never give you sustainable results. It’s equally important to workout and walk in order to expend calories. Exercising regularly helps in toning and strengthening muscles, along with burning calories, but for true fat loss, you have put your body in a caloric deficit mode.

What is calorie deficit? If your calorie intake and output are in balance, which is the case when you don’t necessarily walk, you can’t expect much change. If you’re wondering about the output I’m talking about, it is basically the calories your body burns when you’re at rest, for tasks such as breathing, beating of the heart, digestion etc. (also known as basal metabolism). For calorie deficit, you’ve got to get out of balance, and the easiest way to do that is by increasing your expenditure by walking.

Clocking 10,000 steps a day can be a great way to increase your activity level and achieve calorie deficit. If you workout regularly, you can add walking as a warm-up before your workout too.

2. What is the right way to do it? Are we supposed to walk ALL 10,000 steps in one go? Or can we do it in parts?

I strongly suggest walking in one go. The rationale behind this is the fact that for the first 30-35 minutes our muscles burn through stored glycogen for energy. It’s only after this duration that fats start to burn and hence 10,000 steps are suggested because clocking in those numbers generally takes 45-50 minutes. But if you’re a beginner, you can start with 5,000 steps a day and gradually increase with time.

3. If someone, like me, wears a fitness band that counts every movement, for example, even when I’m going from the living room to the bedroom, or moving around in the kitchen, do those steps help? Or should I only count those steps where I’m consciously walking?

The steps you clock in when you’re involved in regular walking is the expenditure your body is accustomed to. If your target is fitness only, then those steps can be counted. But if you’re targeting fat loss, then your body won’t get into the calorie deficit mode with this walking and you perhaps won’t see a drop in numbers on your weighing scale as much you would if you consciously finish 10,000 steps.

To achieve this, check the number on your tracker before you start your walk and add 10,000 steps to that.

4. So it’s not always possible to find an entire hour to walk. Is it alright if someone walk for 10-15 minutes between doing other things?

In the beginning, yes. It’s always better to start imperfectly than not start at all. Once you get into the groove, walking 10,000 steps will be a piece of a cake, and will mostly become an indispensable part of your routine.

5. What’s the logic behind walking for at least 35 minutes at a stretch?

As mentioned above, for the first 30 minutes our muscles burn through stored glycogen after which proper fat burning takes place and hence 35 minutes+ at a stretch is advised, if you’re watching your weight.

6. What’s the ideal speed for walking? Rather, how should we decide if we are walking fast enough for this exercise to work?

Brisk or quick paced walking is ideal. Even if you’re walking at home, ensure that you sweat. Also, try and jog in between if possible to increase the intensity of fat breakdown.

7. What about food intake? Is it better to walk before meals or after? And what should be the ideal time gap between meals and walking?

Walking on empty stomach in the morning is what I suggest for fat burning. But if you can’t, anytime of the day works. Just make sure you don’t workout/walk 20 minutes before or after your meals. When you eat, your blood flow is diverted towards your digestive track and likewise, when you walk, it is diverted towards your calves and core muscles. In order to maintain smooth functioning of all your bodily systems, it is ideal to keep a gap of 20 minutes at least.

8. Is there anything else we need to be mindful of when walking 10,000 steps every day?

Yes, breathe consciously and as deeply you can when you walk. There are three ways our body excretes the by-products of fat metabolism:
1. As water through the skin when we sweat,
2. As water through the kidneys when we urinate and majorly,
3. As CO2 through our lungs when we exhale.

Thank you so much Elina, for taking the time out to do this for all of us. I’m sure this will help a lot of people who have been unable to find time to do a proper workout. This is a simple yet amazing way to get started on the journey to fitness.

And now for the best part. Next week, Elina and I have a 7-day daily walking challenge for you. We will announce it Sunday Night (December 22, 2019). Without giving more details than necessary, all you have to do is walk and share your step count at the end of the day. So get ready and start with a small 5,000 steps daily so you’re ready for a higher number by next week.

Before that, remember to read this post and make note of what you might need: An app on your phone/fitness tracker, shoes, and time. Details of all of this and links to whatever you might need these are in Part 1 of this series.

Oh, and of course, at the end of the 7-day challenge, we will pick a winner (or winners, we haven’t decided that yet). So are you ready?

If you have any more questions, please ask below. Until then, stay tuned for a fun Part 3 of this series – 10 Things I Do To Keep Myself Entertained When I Do My Daily 10k. 😀 😀